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 Q. Who came in-between the Stuarts and the Victorians ? A. Thanks for your question - it's a really good one. It may surprise you to learn that the Stuart period lasted until 1714, when the last member of the Stuart family - Queen Anne - died without any children to succeed her. Actually, she gave birth to 15 children but all of them died either in childbirth or infancy! The next in line to throne was James Stuart, the only son of James II (born 1687). However, Parliament was not prepared to allow James to become king because, like his father, he was a Catholic. Consequently, the search for a Protestant successor went all the way back to Elizabeth, the daughter of James I, who had married Frederick, a German prince in 1613. Elizabeth's daughter, Sophia then married another German prince, the Elector (ruler) of Hanover, who, by 1714, had been succeeded (as Elector) by his son, George. George could speak no English, but the important thing was that he was a Protestant. He was pleased to accept Parliament's invitation to rule Great Britain. He therefore succeeded Anne as George I (1714-1727). He was succeeded in turn by his son, George II (1727-1760) and by his great-grandson, George III (1760-1820). George IV succeeded his father in 1820 and was followed by his brother, William IV in 1830. Since William IV died without a direct heir, he was succeeded by his neice, the 18 year-old Victorria in 1837. There are two ways of describing the historical period between 1714 and 1837. One is 'Hanoverian' (from the original title of George I); the other - more common - is 'Georgian' (from the christian names of most of the rulers). As a rough guide, 'Hanoverian' tends to be used when referring to the kings themselves (e.g. 'the Hanoverian succession', or 'Hanoverian foreign policy') and 'Georgian' when referring to anything else (e.g. 'Georgian architecture', or 'life in Georgian times'). It is interesting to note that the switch from family name (Tudor, Stuart) to Christian name (Georgian) as a means of defining an historical 'age' contines with 'Victorian' after 1837. I hope this is clear! |
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